Crying Over Onions

Unless you avoid cooking at all costs, you’ve probably experienced the burning sensation that you get from the vapors of an onion. An onion is made up of 3 layers, the tunic (outer leaves), the scales (the edible part) and the basal plate (the root). When you cut an onion you allow the once separated enzymes to combine. This combination makes a harsh sulfur gas. When this gas makes its way up toward your eyes and into your nose it consumes you, burning your eyes so bad that you want to throw the knife down and stick your face in a pool of ice cubes. The reason it is burning so bad is because the sulfuric gas is combining with your tears and creating sulfuric acid which stimulates your eyes to create more tears. So if you have this reaction to onions, don’t worry, it’s normal. Just relax and start cooking. As soon as you start cooking the chemistry in the onion will change again. The smell will still be strong but it will not burn your eyes anymore.